Cyrtorchis praetermissa is found in Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa (Mpumalanga, Northern Province), Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Throughout the range, the plants are found mostly in woodlands, but occasionally in riverside forests, at 450-1850 m.
Cyrtorchis praetermissa also called as The Overlooked Cyrtorchis, Cyrtorchis praetermissa subsp. zuluensis, Cyrtorchis praetermissa var. zuluensis, Homocolleticon praetermissa, Homocolleticon praetermissa var. zuluensis, is a species of the genus Cyrtorchis. This species was described by Victor Samuel Summerhayes in 1948.
IDENTIFY CYRTORCHIS PRAETERMISSA ORCHID PLANT
Cyrtorchis praetermissa is found in Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa (Mpumalanga, Northern Province), Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Throughout the range, the plants are found mostly in woodlands, but occasionally in riverside forests, at 450-1850 m.
It is a small sized, warm to cold growing epiphyte with a short, erect, then pendant with age stem carrying distichous, usually 4 to 6 opposing pairs, linear, recurved, conduplicate, thick but not fleshy leaves.
The Overlooked Cyrtorchis blooms in the fall on 2 to 4, 10 cm long, arching, fairly densly to 12 flowered, 2 ranked inflorescence that arises from the stem below the leaves and carries waxy, nocturnally, sweetly scented flowers. The spreading, rather star-shaped, waxy flowers, which have a fragrance similar to lily-of-the-valley, are white tinged with green when young, but they become orange to apricot-colored with age.
CYRTORCHIS PRAETERMISSA ORCHID PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Cyrtorchis praetermissa needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. Light should be filtered or diffused, and plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided at all times.
Temperature:
Summer days temperature at average 25°C, and nights temperature at average 16°C, with a diurnal range of 9°C.
Humidity:
The Overlooked Cyrtorchis need the humidity of 80-85% in summer, dropping to 60-65% most of the remainder of the year, with only about a one-month transition period between the wet and dry seasons.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Cyrtorchis praetermissa may be grown in shallow, well-drained containers or mounted on tree-fern slabs. Mounted plants need high humidity, however, and during hot, dry weather they may need several waterings a day.
If it is difficult to keep mounted plants moist enough, they may be grown in a shallow pot or basket filled with a very open, fast-draining medium that has excellent drainage, is well aerated, and allows the medium to dry fairly rapidly after watering.
Growers report that a coarse mix is necessary, so a mix comprised of coarse fir bark or shredded tree-fern fiber with varying amounts of chunky perlite and/or chopped sphagnum moss added to keep the medium open and retain some moisture should work well. Including charcoal in the mix also holds the medium open and prevents souring in the pot.
Plants should be repotted immediately if the medium starts to break down. Repotting should be done just as new roots start to grow. This enables the plant to become reestablished in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
Rainfall in the region is heavy from late spring into early autumn. Averages then drop rather quickly into a dry season that lasts from midautum to late spring. Some portions of the habitat experience a double wet/dry climate, with heavy rainfall in spring and autumn and a dry period in winter, with a somewhat drier period in summer. This double season probably is not important in the cultivation of these plants, and growers report that a drier rest in winter is important.
Fertilizer:
1/4-1/2 recommended strength, applied weekly when plants are actively growing. You can use a high-nitrogen fertilizer from spring to midsummer, then switch to one high in phosphates in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Winter days temperature at average 20-21°C, and nights average 9-10°C with a diurnal range of 10-11°C. Water for Cyrtorchis praetermissa plants should be reduced in winter. In most growing areas, occasional early-morning mistings between infrequent light waterings should provide the necessary dry rest while preventing the plants from becoming too dry. Fertilizer should be eliminated until new growth starts and heavier watering is resumed in spring.
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